Whilst transcribing a perambulation of Old Sodbury in Gloucestershire from 1783, I came across two of the participants who were described as being ‘carnivals’. They were listed with the steward, bailiffs, hayward and scavenger – manorial occupations of which I had heard. But I have never seen the position of a carnival (or carnivall) before.

This is a brand new topic for me, not one covered in either of my books, Discover Gloucestershire Ancestors. Gloucestershire Archives has begun to catalogue two large collections of documents from Cirencester solicitors. As the Gwinnetts do not, so far, appear to have had any connection to Cirencester, I didn’t expect to find anything of particular interest to my one-name study there, so I was very pleasantly surprised to discover about a dozen account books belonging to the Cheltenham solicitor, Theodore Gwinnett.

Most of the account books have few mentions of Theodore Gwinnett himself, except when dealing with his clients and their financial affairs, but two of the books look as though they will prove to be a treasure trove of little facts on him and his family. For instance, on 1st April 1809, there is an entry: “Paid fare by Mail to London for Mr Gwinnett’s son. £2 5s 0d”. The next entry states: “Paid expenses for him to London including coachman, etc. 18s 0d”.

At this time, Theodore Gwinnett had three sons: Thomas (1800-1810), Edwin (1803-1812) and Theodore junior (1804-May 1809). Which could it have been and why was he going to London, apparently on his own? Where was he going to stay? Was he going to school or to a hospital? None of these three boys lived beyond childhood …

Hopefully, further entries will clarify the situation and reveal further snippets about the life of the solicitor and his family. Watch this space!

When a woman was left with illegitimate children after her partner had died, she was examined by the local overseers of the poor to find out which parish she belonged to. Such an examination happened to Ann Howell …

On 27th April 1832, Mitcheldean Overseers of the Poor examined Ann Howell, the daughter of Evan and Mary Howell of Lampeter in Pembrokeshire as to where she had been born. She was 47 years old and in need of help from the parish. Her examination revealed a long story involving much travelling.

In 1813, Ann had been hired by Captain James Probert of St. David’s at £5, presumably in a domestic capacity. After she left Captain Probert’s employ she ‘connected’ with George Sleeman Kendal, a malt mill grinder. She never married him but lived and travelled with him. In 1814, she became pregnant and was delivered of a male bastard child at a lodging house in Pembroke. The child was baptised Thomas Sleeman Kendal in Peterchurch, Herefordshire. In 1820, Ann had a female bastard child at Brockway in Hewelsfield who was baptised Mary. In August of that year, a male bastard child called George was baptised at St Mary’s church in Swansea.

Then the family moved to Ruardean and finally Mitcheldean. In May 1822, a son called William was baptised, the following July a daughter called Margaret arrived on the scene and, finally, a sixth child, a boy called Evan after his grandfather, was baptised at Mitcheldean in August 1825.

The following year, George Sleeman Kendal died and Ann stated that she did not know his legal place of settlement but only that it was near Penzance in Cornwall.

If it weren’t for this examination document, how confident would you be in tying the various baptisms together into one family?

Due to the rocketing number of scams from people trying to part you from your money, I have been asked by the heir hunters, Fraser and Fraser, to point out to those of you seeking ancestors and living relatives that the company do NOT contact people by email and that, if contacted in that way, you should not part with any money up front. Most genealogists are wise enough to spot the scam but you can never be too careful.

I have just been asked to find out about someone born in Shortwood in the first half of the nineteenth century. The name Shortwood tells me that the family were nonconformists – Baptists in fact. The original site is no longer in use, the graveyard sadly neglected when I last went and took photographs of all the tombstones there a couple of years ago. Some records do remain for the church which is now situated in the town of Nailsworth so it may be possible to locate ancestors who attended the church.